Chargers Bring Back Whitehurst

And Do A Whole Lot More!

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Charlie Whitehurst is returning to San Diego, this time to be the Chargers backup QB.

Updated at 9:03 PM PDT on Friday, Mar 16, 2012

In 2011, the Chargers only carried two quarterbacks on the roster. Behind Philip Rivers and Billy Volek (the proverbial "Emergency QB" on game days) was usually WR Patrick Crayton or WR Bryan Walters, who both played the position in high school.

Next season, they might do the same thing. But, the names of the players will be different. Charlie Whitehurst is returning from his two year stint in Seattle. Whitehurst agreed to a 2-year, $4 million contract on Friday. Charlie was drafted by the Chargers in 2006 and spent four years in San Diego. He was traded to the Seahawks in 2010 for a pair of draft picks.

Volek's contract only has one year remaining, so the common assumption was Whitehurst will take over backup duties for the 2013 season. But, instead the Chargers released the 12-year veteran on Friday. Volek is widely considered one of the top backup quarterbacks in the league. It remains to be seen if the Chargers will add a 3rd QB before training camp, but general manager A.J. Smith has drafted both Whitehurst and Jonathan Crompton since Rivers took over as the starter.

The final move on Friday night involved the defense. San Diego agreed to a 2-year, $2.5 million dollar deal with strong safety Atari Bigby. Bigby spent last season with the Seahawks after starting for the Packers for three years.

Bigby is one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the game, but with his aggressive approach come the inevitable injuries. He's started just two games the last two seasons.